I have received some thoughtful responses to my post on the HOA activist movement.
I think conventional political activity--organization, marshalling information, using the media, lobbying, finding allies in the short and long term, lawsuits, etc.--are the way to go. I think a number of state legislators are starting to catch on to these issues, and see the potential for abuse as never before. Many in the media are starting to listen. But some others, not satisfied with all the signs of progress, seem to think the proper course is to vilify people and organizations on the internet, scream about "conspiracy," and claim with a straight face that their lives in a CID are just as bad as life in Stalinist Russia or Nazi Germany. I am concerned that the HOA activists who do such things could lose all credibility with the media and policy makers. That would be a very unfortunate thing, because these groups are critical to the prospects for reform. They need to be perceived as credible. This dilemma confronts all social movements. To get attention, they need to say and do unconventional things, but to get anything changed, they need to be credible. It isn't easy bringing about change from the outside. I hope that people can keep this in mind.
Thanks for your posts, everybody. I won't quote anybody by name without your approval, by the way.